Not me, thank you
My name is Nikki R. Richert, and I would like to take this opportunity to clarify that I am not the same Nicole D. Richert who was recently arrested and accused of involvement in the check fraud scam printed in the Juneau Empire on Jan. 31.

Obama expanded health insurance
I was dismayed to see the article in the Feb. 2 Juneau Empire about the Clinton campaign's repeated attacks against Sen. Barack Obama and his commitment to universal health care coverage.

Thanks to Palin for Habitat move
I'd like to thank Gov. Sarah Palin for her wise decision to move the Habitat Division back to the Department of Fish and Game. With the move, Fish and Game will once again be able to fully carry out its constitutional mandate of protecting our fish and wildlife resources, provided that the state can both retain and also reacquire qualified professionals whose jobs were eliminated in 2003.

Remember your snow etiquette
Recently I moved into a nice home in a nice part of town that I'm very fond of. Everything has been great until recently when we started getting a lot of snow.

A different Tongass National Forest view
Regarding the latest Forest Service attempt at managing the Tongass, we read the joint statement issued by Gov. Sarah Palin and Forestry Chief Gail Kimbell on their "Shared Vision for the Tongass National Forest."

'We stand to fall together' on energy
As a concerned citizen, I'm writing about the welfare of the state of Alaska and its present and future energy needs. I attended a meeting of SEAK Solutions on Jan. 30. The group concerns included renewable energy in Alaska, especially villages, and making biodiesel fuel in Juneau.

First permits for cottage housing trigger concern
Home and landowners in the All Seasons subdivision say the city's first cottage housing development threatens their property values and doesn't fit in with the Back Loop Road neighborhood people paid up to $500,000 to live in.

Photos: Mechanical Marvels
Color and creativity once again entertained a crowd at the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council annual fashion event that this year invited local artists to design wearable art under the theme "Mechanical Marvels."

Army Corps may not join mine appeal
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not decided whether to join Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. and the state of Alaska in a U.S. Supreme Court appeal of a decision affecting the Kensington Mine's permits.

Photo: Chipping away
Erik Auger, a crewman aboard the fishing vessel Carlynn, uses a sledgehammer to break ice off the wheel house Monday at Aurora Basin boat harbor. Ice nearly two feet thick built up on the vessel as it fished for gray cod in Frederick Sound after a cold snap hit Southeast Alaska. Today's weather forecast calls for rain and a high temperature near 40.

My turn: Reinstate Gold Medal tourney's women, intermediate divisions
I, and many others in this community, read with some dismay that the Gold Medal Tournament Committee has decided to take actions which would eliminate the women's and intermediate divisions in this year's tournament. The committee will also add teams to the C, B and masters divisions. I think the direction of the committee is a mistake.

Outside editorial: Getting a grip on the obesity debate
So are too many Americans too fat - or not? According to contrarian views of the obesity/overweight issue, the concern is overblown. A Johns Hopkins professor recently coauthored a book that challenges the link between health problems and obesity. Some naysayers suggest the antifat campaign is a concoction of the multibillion-dollar weight loss industry, designed to scare people into signing up. Or that it has become a moral crusade designed to marginalize groups (including the poor) that have higher rates of being overweight.

Let American ingenuity solve the power crunch
Maryland's Allegheny Energy recently mailed two compact fluorescent light bulbs to each of its customers. Imagine the indignation when those customers noticed a $12 charge for the unsolicited mailing.

State schedules 16 meetings on AGIA
JUNEAU - State officials scheduled a series of 16 town hall meetings across Alaska to update residents on the efforts to get a natural gas pipeline under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

Former Stevens aide benefits from earmark
Newly uncovered documents show a generous earmark in 2005 by Sen. Ted Stevens was manipulated to lead to the purchase of property owned by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, now an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist.

Alaska opens checkbook to public
Alaskans who want to make sure their state government is spending their money wisely can now rummage through the state's checkbook, and see what they can find.

Sniper convicted of killing Iraqi
A military jury on Sunday convicted an Army sniper of murder and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for killing an Iraqi civilian who wandered into the hiding place where six soldiers were sleeping.

New mapping data bolsters U.S. claims to Arctic region
ANCHORAGE - New mapping data would bolster any claims the U.S. might make in the Arctic as nations in the region compete for potentially rich reserves of oil, gas and minerals buried beneath the sea floor, federal scientists said Monday.

Palin meets with ConocoPhillips
Gov. Sarah Palin met with executives from ConocoPhillips to discuss a prospective natural gas pipeline - one month after turning down the company's proposal.

Ex-Fairbanks mayor convicted of fraud
FAIRBANKS - Former Fairbanks Mayor Jim Hayes has been found guilty of 16 counts involving the misuse of more than $450,000 in government grants sent to a social services agency.